Statue of Shoban babu at Nungambakkam, Chennai

Description

Sobhan Babu (January 14, 1937 – March 20, 2008) was an Indian film actor in Telugu cinema. Born as Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao to a middle-class family, Sobhan went on to become a romantic icon and was one of the top Tollywood heroes for two decades. He made his film debut with Daivabalam directed by Vasanthkumar Reddy, but his first film to hit the screens was Bhakta Sabari. A son of Uppu Suryanarayana Rao, Babu had three sisters Dhanaranga, Jhansi and Nirmala, and a brother, Sambasiva Rao. Babu completed his initial schooling at Kuntamukkula Mylavaram. He pursued his Intermediate in Vijayawada and finished his degree at Andhra-Christian College in Guntur. Later, he studied law in Chennai, but ultimately discontinued it. He married Santha Kumari on 15 May 1958; they had a son, Karuna Seshu and three daughters: Mrudula, Prashanti and Nivedita. Sobhan Babu made his debut in the film Daivabalam.[1] After that he acted in many films playing small roles. Veerabhimanyu (1965) was his first movie as a "solo hero". This movie turned out to be a big hit. After this, however, he still played small roles in many films in order to earn money for his family. After the huge success of Manushulu Maarali, he acted in films until 1997. His film Manushulu Maarali ran for 25 weeks, which was a record at that time. His first colour film was Kannavari Kalalu. He performed a dual role for the first time in Potti Pleader. The highlight of Shoban Babu's career was the three consecutive Filmfare awards he won between 1974-1976 (1974 for Khaidi Babayi, 1975 for Jeevana Jyothi, and 1976 for Soggadu). This was a record for the Telugu film industry. Babu was only the second actor (after Dilip Kumar) to receive three consecutive Filmfare trophies.[citation needed] He was honored with several Nandi Awards by the state of Andhra Pradesh. He was given the honourific "Natabooshana", which became his last name in movie credits.[citation needed] His rise in the acting industry was also a boon to producers with Babu's successive hits including Veerabhimanyu, Manushulu Marali, Kalyana Mandapam, and Tahsildhargaari Ammaayi, which earned Babu a large fan base. Sobhanbabu had paired up with Saradha for several films and they were a hit pair. It was a unique combination. Sobhan Babu known for his glamour and Sarada for her outstanding, performance-oriented roles. Sobhan Babu is known for his glamour. A single strand of hair (may be a couple) curled down on his forehead was his trademark style. It was so popular that every Telugu moviegoer would instantly recognize it as his style. Though several senior artists had lost their earnings either by producing films or in some other way, Sobhanbabu had a planned career. He invested all his earnings in real estate. After his retirement he led a peaceful life with a complete happy family with sons, daughters, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law and grandchildren like a real life hero. Sobhan Babu died on March 20, 2008 due to a heart attack at the age of 71. Writer and film journalist Akella Raghavendra wrote a book on Sobhan Babu, titled Sobhan Babu Jeevita Charitra-Parugu Aapadam O Kala. To mark the 75th birth Anniversary of legendary actor Sobhan Babu Platinum Jubilee celebration were held in Hyderabad in July 2012 by his movie Fans. It was graced by Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh along with the film celebrities. Souvenir was released on the event. Website Sobhanbabu.com has been started as mark of respect for the veteran actor.

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